RAMBLE AND BARBECUE – September’s ramble and barbecue will start at Dalmorr, by kind invitation of Mike and Diana Tricklebank at 3pm, Saturday. For those unable to join in for the walk around the footpaths of Allensmore, please join in at 5pm for the barbecue of local produce.

TILL THE COWS COME HOME – Aymestrey Parish Hall will welcome back for the third time the Mikron Theatre Company tomorrow evening. Mikron is a very entertaining travelling theatre company with clever productions with a versatile cast – an evening not to be missed. This time they will be presenting Till the Cows Come Home, a further tale in the ongoing saga of the Thistledown Allotment Holders. Start time 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 and on sale now. Telephone 01568 770367, 770486, 770224 or 709031.

QUIZ NIGHT – The first of the season of Aymestrey’s popular Quiz Nights takes place on September 12. There is a charge of £5 for teams of up to four members. Refreshments are available in the interval, but teams are welcome to bring their own if desired. There is a cash prize for the winning team and also a prize for the ‘tail-end Charlies’. The start time is 8pm prompt.

CHURCH – There will be a service of Holy Communion (BCP) at Aymestrey on Sunday at 9.30am.

FILM CLUB – On September 14 there is a change of programme and Aymestrey Film Club will now be showing Calvary (15). Start time is 7pm and homemade ice cream and popcorn will be available. Entrance is £5.

Bishops Frome

COFFEE MORNING – A coffee morning and local produce sale will be taking place on Saturday at Bishops Frome Village Centre from 10am to 12 noon.

Lots of plants, homegrown fruit and veg and homemade produce for sale. In aid of St Giles Church Acton Beauchamp.

Bishopstone

VILLAGE LOTTERY – Pat Astley won £25 with number 45 on August 23.

BUS SERVICE 446 – Bus users should know that First Midland Red will be operating the 446 service, it started on September 1. An operational timetable is now available. However only one collection and stop-off is shown and that is the telephone box in Bishopstone.

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN OPEN DAY – The full results of the recent questionnaire for parishes in the Bishopstone Group will be on display at an Open Day on Saturday. There will also be an explanation of the background to the Neighbourhood Plan process and details of the next steps to be taken. Residents will have a chance to make further comments about housing, employment, traffic and environmental issues and to consider possible positions for new settlement boundaries within some parishes. The Open Day will take place at the New Bridge Community Centre, Bridge Sollars on Saturday between 11am and 7pm, everyone welcome.

Bredwardine and Brobury

SEPTEMBER 100 CLUB DRAW – The Friends of St Andrew 100 Club draw will take place on today at 8pm in the Red Lion Inn, which is serving a delicious curry buffet for anyone who wants to eat before the draw. We look forward to seeing you at the event and good luck to all ticket holders.

Contact Jen Maddison on 01981 500048 for further information about the club.

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN - A public meeting will take place in Moccas Village Hall on Wednesday at 7pm. Issues raised by local residents in the June to August consultation period will be prioritised for inclusion in the forthcoming questionnaire and the agreement of a comprehensive plan of action will ensure that the committee is working on behalf of everyone involved. Be there to give your opinion, it’s important. The bar will be open, with an initial drink, refreshments and cake provided free. For further information contact John Darbyshire on 01981 500711.

SEPTEMBER COFFEE, CAKE AND MARKET – There will be a coffee morning in Bredwardine village hall on September 12 from 10am until 12 noon. This is a chance to meet up with old and new friends over coffee and cake.

Included in the market are a number of stalls selling fresh vegetables, home-baked cakes, jams and chutneys and we have regular visits from Noggins – a local pork butcher. Alongside this there are stalls selling arts and craft, music and films, knitwear and jewellery created by local artists. Bring along something to sell; it only costs £1 to rent a table for the market and everyone is welcome.

Contact Philip Bauer on 01981 500398 with requests or queries.

FOOD DONATION BASKET – The Community Larder is Hereford’s Food Bank and provides bags of food to those in urgent need. Every week this organization gives emergency food parcels to families who find themselves in serious and sudden hardship. There will be a basket for donations of tinned and dried food at the coffee cake and market events in the coming months.

CORRESPONDENT – If you have Bredwardine and Brobury news or events that you would like to appear in the County Times section of the Hereford Times , contact Kari Lawson on 01981 501077 or email karimlawson@me.com.

Bridge Sollars

BONUS BALL – Keith Johnson won £25 with number 45 on August 23.

COFFEE AND CHAT – The weekly coffee morning is back at the New Bridge Community Centre after the summer break. Drop in for a quick coffee or stay for a good chat, treat yourself at the cake and produce table and browse the varied selection of books to borrow or buy. Every Wednesday morning from 10.30am to 12 noon.

NFWI CENTENARY BATON TOUR – On Saturday the baton will be passed around the Golden Valley Group WIs. Starting at Dorestone Village Hall at 10am, a light breakfast will be served then a short drive up to Arthur’s Stone where photos will be taken around the Neolithic tombstone.

There is parking opposite The Pandy in the Front Room village car park. The baton will then be taken to Longtown Castle and photos taken in the castle ruins from about 12.30pm to 1pm. Pre- booked lunch will be served in the village hall. The baton will then be taken by horseback to Ewyas Harold Castle site arriving about 3pm. It will ascend the Motte and tea and cake will be served afterwards while enjoying the views across the Monnow Valley. A trustee will then take the baton to Holmer.

CHARITY EVENT – In aid of Birmingham’s Children Hospital to support baby Josh Skyrme whose story was recently reported in the Hereford Times. An ove- 25s disco will take place in the Memorial Hall on September 13, 8pm-late, 1950s up until today’s music provided by Bulldog Disco.

There will be a raffle for a bottle.

£5 entry fee and a chance to purchase a fish and chips supper from 10pm.

Eye

FIVE YEARS IN THE FIFTIES – The North Herefordshire Archive Film Group thanks everyone who generously gave their time to help at another sell-out performance of the Frank Dale film, Five Years in the Fifties, produced in partnership with the Rural Media Company and shown recently at Cawley Hall. There will be another chance to see this film with live music and a poetry narration at the Market Theatre, Ledbury on November 21. Tickets are already available from The Market Theatre (07967 517125) or by phoning 01568 615836.

FLICKS IN THE STICKS – The next film at Cawley Hall will be The Admirable Crichton (1957) (U) on September 13 starting at 7.30pm.

A pre-film supper will be available at 6.15pm. Please phone 01568 615836 to order the meal.

FOWNHOPE neighbourhood plan – local landowners were invited to put forward land for consideration for new housing in Fownhope’s new Neighbourhood Plan. Ten sites have been submitted with a combined area of 23 hectares, or 57 acres in old money.

Between them they could provide about 530 new homes, which would increase the size of Fownhope village in the next 17 years by more than 150%. Does that mean that Fownhope’s bound to grow by that much? No it will be for Fownhope’s residents to help judge how many new homes may be needed to cater for those local families who cannot compete in the “open” market. Are more homes needed to ensure the survival of services such as the school and surgery? How far Fownhope can cater for market demand without compromising its unique character and setting as the largest Herefordshire village within the area of outstanding natural beauty? Nothing is yet decided. The scale and nature of development will largely be decided by local residents rather than being imposed from outside.

And where are these ten sites?

One, Mill Field, is the subject of a planning application. Eight of the sites are scattered round the western and eastern edges of the village. There’s a small plot on Common Hill. So there’s no lack of interest by landowners, though only one has provided any detail of how they think their land could be developed. Full details of the sites and all the issues that affect Fownhope’s future will be on display with photos and maps at the plan’s exhibition in the memorial hall on September 20 from 11am till 5pm. Residents will then be able to complete a detailed questionnaire which will have been delivered in the week before the exhibition. Fownhope’s future is in the hands of its residents.

Garway

GARWAY LIVE! – Sunday, 7.30pm, with Amy Wadge and Pete Riley.

Amy is widely regarded as one of the country’s most successful female singer/songwriters. Over the course of five solo albums, two collaborations, numerous compositions for other artists and hundreds of live performances all over the globe, she has established an outstanding body of work. Her voice is simply amazing with a breathtaking range and emotional impact. “An irresistible, riveting performer” – Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – onside is a registered charity providing independent advocacy to vulnerable adults. We provide our service across Herefordshire and we are currently looking to train more volunteers from your local area.

Advocacy is a way of supporting and empowering people to ensure that they have their voice heard and their wishes made known to others.

Onside’s volunteer co-ordinator, Claire Watkins, said: “Our volunteers give their time, their passion and enthusiasm. We need continued help from willing volunteers who would enjoy supporting vulnerable people in their local community.”

The next course will be on September 20 and 27. If you are interested in finding out more, or keen to do something amazing, please contact Claire on 01905 27525 or email volunteering@ onside-advocacy.org.uk.

Kings Caple

OPEN GARDENS – Shieldbrook Sculpture Garden, Kings Caple, HR14UB, will be open daily during h.Art, from September 6 -14 from 2pm to 5pm. Visit shieldbrooksculpturegarden.co.uk for more.

H.ART AT KINGSLAND – From Saturday to September 14, 20 exciting artists present their work in the beautiful surroundings of Kingsland’s Grade I listed Church of St Michael and All Angels, HR6 9QW. Artworks include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery and more.

Every sale will contribute to the restoration and improvement of Kingsland Church. Open daily 11am until 5pm. Free entry.

The Arkwright Hall, Kinsham, is a wonderful community facility ideal for birthday parties, charity functions, christening parties, funeral teas or meetings. To check availability, hire costs or to arrange a viewing of the facilities please contact 01544 260469.

Knighton

THE BIG SCREEN – The big screen returns to Knighton next month when Flicks in the Sticks launches a regular programme of screenings at Knighton’s Community Centre. Thanks to support from Powys County Council, Shropshire’s Arts Alive is enabling communities in the county to bring cinema to local audiences.

On Saturday there will be two screenings beginning with a children’s matinee with the showing of Rio 2 (U). The doors open at 2.30pm and adults will be admitted free as long as they are accompanied by their children who will be charged £3.50 each. The second screening will feature The Monuments Men (12A). Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Admission £4.

Before the main features hit the screen there will be a video presentation of the highlights of this year’s Knighton Carnival.

Refreshments will be on sale for both films with a bar open in the evening. For more call Roger Casstles or Sheila Taylor on 01547 52060.

Ledbury

LAUGHTER YOGA – How do you feel when you’ve had a good laugh? Laughter Yoga is a combination of deep breathing exercises and laughter exercises. To giggle, laugh and do deep breathing exercises with a group of people is an amazing and uplifting experience. It can help to reduce stress and has health and emotional benefits too.

Come and join Merrie Maggie for Laughter Yoga at The Inner Place, Homend Mews, Ledbury, HR8 1BN on September 15 from 10.30am to 11.30am for an hour of delight for just £5 per person.

For more information contact Maggie Thompson on 07565 218567, email maggiet1951@googlemail.com or see the website merriemaggie.co.uk FIVE YEARS IN THE FIFTIES – The North Herefordshire Archive Film Group presents the Frank Dale film, Five Years in the Fifties, produced in partnership with the Rural Media Company with live music and a poetry narration at the Market Theatre, Ledbury on November 21. Tickets are already available from The Market Theatre (07967 517125) or by phoning 01568 615836.

COURSES – Castles of the Welsh Borders – from pre Conquest earthwork defences to 15th century show castles. Tutor, David Whitehead. Starting Thursday, September 11, 2pm to 4pm for seven sessions.

Modernist Art in the Early 20th Century – with particular attention to seven important aspects of Modernist Art in Europe. Tutor, Allen Fisher. Starting September 24, 10am to 12 noon for seven sessions.

Both courses at Leominster Community Centre. Local contact: Ann Wrightson, telephone 01568 620486.

Little Dewchurch

FLICKS IN THE STICKS – Presents Philomena (12A) at the Little Dewchurch Village Hall on September 12. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start. £4 adults £2.50 for under 15s.

PARISH COUNCIL – The Parish Council next meets on Monday at 7.30pm in the community centre.

All welcome. The Steering Group for the Neighbourhood Development Plan is currently undertaking a consultation.

Please complete and return the form in News and Views .

Moccas

WYESIDE GROUP PARISH COUNCIL – Wyeside Group Parish Council will be holding a Neighbourhood Planning questionnaire prioritisation evening on Wednesday, at the Moccas Village Hall from 7pm. This will be an opportunity to get involved with helping to decide the issues that you think should be in the Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaire. Refreshments will be served with the bar open and first drink of the evening free. All residents of the Parishes of Bredwardine, Blakemere, Moccas, Tyberton and Preston-on-Wye are welcome. Please contact the parish clerk, Alison Wright, on 01981 250860 or your local parish councillor for more.

Newton St Margarets

TALK – Tim Bridges, church buildings support officer, will be giving a talk entitiled “looking at our local churches,” at St Margaret’s Church at 5pm on Sunday, followed by tea and discussion.

Presteigne

COMMUNITY GROUP – The East Radnorshire Community Group meet on Friday mornings at The Methodist Church Hall from 10.30 to 12.30pm. It’s an ideal opportunity to have a cuppa and meet people. The aim is to promote the health and wellbeing of all. There will be a small charge for refreshments and any activities. For further details call 01597 824411.

DRIVERS REQUIRED – Can you spare a couple of hours a week to help take the needy to hospital appointments? If so, then please drop in to Presteigne and Norton Community Support office at The Drill Hall in Hereford Street, or call 267961. Drivers are reimbursed their fuel money.

CREAM TEAS – You are invited to Pembridge Church for cream teas on Sunday afternoons until September 14, from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. If the weather is fine you can sit in the churchyard sun or, if it’s raining, the church will be open.

STONE WALLING – There is a free stone walling training course available at Discoed Church in the churchyard on Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 4.30pm. You will learn to build/restore traditional stone walls with lime mortar with instructor Keith Jones.

Places are limited to ensure proper tuition can be given. Tea and cakes and course notes will be provided. To book a place or for further information call Andrea on 01588 673041 or e-mail andrea@ cfga.org.uk.

COACH TRIP – The Evergreen Club are running a coach trip to Abergavenny on Tuesday, leaving The Bowling Green at 9.15am. The cost is £10 per person. For further details or to book a seat, call Judy Charlton on 267420.

LIBRARY – Powys County Council are making changes to our libraries in the county. Before they do this, they wish you to have your say on the future plans for the library services in this area.

Visit powys.gov.uk/haveyoursay or pop into any library and pick up a paper copy. The closing date for receipt is September 19.

SERVICE – There is a group Holy Communion this Sunday, at Kinsham at 11am.

SING-A-THON – Marion Rowlatt is organising a sing-a-thon on September 27, at St Andrews Church from 10am to 5pm, and The Assembly Rooms from 5pm to 10pm, to raise funds for St Andrews Church and Mid Border Arts. A large selection of local singers and choirs have been invited to take part and Marion would like to invite members of the public to come along and join in for free. There will be refreshments available at the church during the day and the bar will be open at the Assembly Rooms.

CHEESE AND WINE – Presteigne and Norton Chamber of Trade are holding a cheese and wine evening at Kinsham Court by kind permission of Mrs Susan Wood on Monday, from 6pm to 8pm. Tickets are £10 which will include a glass of wine and a cheese and canapé buffet. To book a ticket or for more information call James Tennet Eyles on 267365.

MEETING – Presteigne and Norton Twinning Association are holding a special general meeting at No 46 Wine Bar on Thursday, September 11, at 7pm. For further details call 07500 890748 or e-mail bryandgale@aol.com.

YOGA – There is a new six week yoga course at Whitton Community Centre on Thursday evenings beginning on Thursday, September 11. Everyone of any age and ability are welcome.

Beginners are also welcome.

Instructor Jenny has over 25 years experience and can be contacted on 267451 for any further information.

CIDER FESTIVAL – The Annual Cider Festival will take place at The Dukes Arms on Sunday, from 1pm. Admission will be £6.50.

There will be a large selection of local ciders available along with a barbecue and music from Dave Luke, James and Cerys, Tom Burt, A Month Of Sundays, The Happening, Vaginapocalypse and Red Madog. Everyone welcome.

MUSIC – Andrew Morris on piano and Theo Jobst on saxophone will be performing at The Assembly Rooms on Sunday, from 3pm. The duo will play a programme of jazz influenced compositions by Andrew plus a few familiar jazz standards. Admission is £8 at the door.

EVERGREEN – The Evergreens are running a coach trip to Abergavenny on Tuesday, leaving The Bowling Club at 9.15am. To book a place call Judi Charlton on 267420.

CREDIT UNION – Your local mutual financial cooperative Red Kite Credit Union is there for your savings and loans in central Powys. You can save regularly, borrow wisely and repay easily avoiding the loan sharks. For further details call 01597 824000 or 01982 551000 or visit redkitecreditunion.co.uk HEARING AID - Do you want free advice with your NHS hearing aids? If so come to The Youth Centre in Hereford Street on the 4th Tuesday of the month from 1.30pm - 3.30pm. For further details call 02920 333034 or email paul.chappell@hearingloss.org.uk.

OLDER DRIVER DAY – Institute of Advanced Motorists, Herefordshire, are holding their final Older Driver Day for 2014 on September 12, in Ross-on-Wye, aimed at restoring older drivers’ confidence. Ageing can cause changes in ability to enjoy driving, such as difficulty negotiating roundabouts, junctions and manoeuvring. Tina Lawrence, a driver training expert, will lead the day, covering a wide range of topics – such as hazard awareness, speed, observation and how to stay safe on the road. Cost is £15 but places are limited. Phone 01432 840835 to reserve your place or e-mail safer-drivers@iam-herefordshire.org.uk.

Staunton-on-Wye

FLICKS IN THE STICKS–- Tomorrow the film is Arthur’s Dyke (15), a comedy filmed in the Borders around Offa’s Dyke.

Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start.

Refreshments from 7pm. All welcome.

LIVE PERFORMANCE – The Compost heap will be performing at Staunton Village Hall at 7.30pm, on September 19. Tickets £10 each to include a hot home- cooked two course supper.

Licensed bar and raffle. All proceeds to the village hall and St Mary’s Church. Tickets limited please call Barbara on 01981 500567.

Wellington

MEETING – The next meeting of the parish council will be tonight at 7.30 pm. The agenda includes a presentation from the chairman on the final costs of the community hub building project (shop, post office and parish room).

HOG ROAST – Wellington Bowls Club will be holding a Hog Roast on Saturday, at 1pm. Tickets, at £10 per adult or £5 for under 12s, are available from Wellington Delights shop or from David Wood on 01432 830118, or Scriv Evans on 01432 277210. Proceeds are for club funds as well as for St Michael’s Hospice.

Breinton Ringcraft Society

THE match on August 20 was judged by Gail Jones (Emlimajo) and she selected Aidas Smolskas and Erika Zinkeviciute’s Shar Pei – Rocco for best puppy in match.

At Hereford open show Andrew Byrne’s Staffordshire bull terrier – Manark Maggie May was best of breed and won the terrier group and Anthony Brooks’ Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier – Loofahsa Hip Hop was best of breed and terrier group two.

At Welsh Kennel, Kathy George’s Glen of Imaal terrier - Romainville Ellie won the Bitch CC and Best of Breed also Romainville Billy Whizz won the reserve dog CC. Lorraine Carter’s Cardigan corgi – Swanpool Alexis at Vowchurch won the reserve bitch CC and Caroline Scott’s Lhasa Apso – Shardlow Party Tricks at Wolferlow was best puppy in breed and he also won the pro plan puppy dog stakes.

THE Hereford Scrabble Club meet on Monday afternoons (excluding bank holidays) at the Town Hall in Hereford from 1pm-4pm. The charge is £1.50 per afternoon. The club would like to attract more members, all levels are welcome, just come along or phone 01432 343923 for more details.

Llanfair Waterdine WI

Members of Llanfair Waterdine WI have had a busy few months.

At their March meeting members enjoyed a talk and slide show entitled Working with the Little Sisters of the Church on the Solomon Islands with Rosemary Kennedy and Philippa Boast.

Rosemary talked about her work with the Little Sisters of the Church, an Anglican community of nuns on the Solomon Islands, who she had visited many times to help improve their English.

At the April meeting members enjoyed sharing Eric Martin’s experiences of beekeeping.

Members learnt of the perils and joys of life with bees and how they can become a seriously addictive hobby. Eric was a lively and entertaining speaker as he recounted how he was initiated into the world of bees by an old hand.

At the May meeting members were treated to a talk and slides by Ian Burgin entitled Your Flight. Ian gave an interesting insight into what happens behind the scenes at the airport and prior to your flight, including air craft maintenance and during the journey to your destination.

May was also the month of the WI County Show at Knighton Community Centre. Llanfair Waterdine WI did very well winning the Craft Shield with entries by Mary Morgan for sugar craft (overall 3rd), a cross stitched cushion by Sue Lovell and Kathryn Musselwhite and a crochet table centre by Barbara Home (which gained overall first).

The president Kath Graham came first in the art section winning a Shield for her painting “still life fruit”, Sue Lovell came overall second in the beginners’ floral and other entries did very well to combine points for overall fourth place.

At the June meeting members listened to a talk and watched slides about the work of Wolf Watch UK.

Tony Haighway, the charity’s founder and guiding light, explained that the organisation is basically a hobby that got out of hand. As a boy Tony had a deep love of wildlife and had cared for orphan fox cubs. So, when a local zoo was closing down and had nowhere to send its wolves Tony agreed on the spur of the moment to take them on.

The July meeting speaker was unable to attend so Irene Mawr came up with a fun quiz for members to take part in and everyone had a fun evening. The quiz was followed by a delicious July 4 themed supper. Joan Siviter, outings secretary arranged a trip to Westonbury Mill Water Gardens at Pembridge, this was followed by afternoon tea. The trip was enjoyed by all who attended.

The August meeting was entitled Pictures in Harmony with Hilary and Ian Templeton. The Templetons were invited back to our WI for the third time, as they are very popular with members.

They showed a series of short films on a variety of topics with beautiful narrative, music and photography. All proceeds from giving these presentations are donated by the Templeton’s to the County Air Ambulance and the Templeton’s have donated approximately £16,000 to that cause so far. A vote of thanks was given by Judith Tollman to the Templeton’s for such an entertaining evening. All meetings are followed by a delicious supper and socialising.

Members of Llanfair Waterdine WI entered the Sitting Pretty Decorated Beach Chair competition at the Wakes and were pleased to be awarded first prize.

Meetings are held on the first Friday of the month, 7pm, Everest Hall, Llanfair Waterdine.

September: Art Glass Paperweights with Louise Home.

October: An evening with Nonny James (Observational humour and intelligently comic songs – likened to Victoria Wood), open meeting all welcome.

Marden Gardeners Association

VISITS to NGS gardens in Herefordshire during June, July and August were excellent, each with its own character and charm, and there was always a warm welcome. It’s time now to look forward to our Autumn Show, to be held on Saturday, in the Community Room and main hall at Marden School.

Over the past two years our Spring and Autumn Shows have been very well supported with record numbers of entries, all of excellent quality.

So we hope that you will all feel inspired to enter one or more categories this autumn. This village has an abundance of imaginative and skilful people, so we are looking forward to a large number of entries and a very enjoyable afternoon.

Entries are open to anyone in the parish and entry forms can be had from Peter Mann, Carol Rawlings or Len Day.

The speaker for the club meeting on Tuesday will be Mr Simon Haddock, a local rose expert who will give a talk entitled “The Glory of the Rose”. Members love roses but are forever fighting black spot and rust, even on roses that are sold as disease resistant.

Fortunately as part of his talk Simon will be giving guidance on keeping the roses healthy and tips on how to get the best out of them.

This should be a very good and practical session for all rose lovers.

Visitors and new members to the gardening club are always very welcome. If you would like to join us for a taster evening, we meet every second Tuesday of the month in the Community Centre at 7.30pm, commencing again on Tuesday.

If you would like more information on the club and it’s activities please contact the secretary, Len Day, on 01432 880657.

THE speaker for August was Rosemary Prosser with her talk entitled “One Lump or Two”, referring to the part of her life where she did bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation, as part diversification from being a farmers wife.

She was excellent, entertaining, funny and everyone could hear every word. A thoroughly enjoyable event.

Ross-on-Wye Rotary Club

THE guest speaker at a recent meeting of Ross Rotary Club was freelance journalist Mike Stares, who has recently moved to Ross from Swindon.

He entertained members with an extremely interesting talk entitled “The Great Losers in History” which gave voice to his long time interest in the stories behind history.

Mike defined a great loser as someone who had been a great winner, but was flawed, and ended up as a loser on the “executioner’s block”. He circulated a list of his candidates, ranging from Hannibal to Hitler, and focused his talk on five of these.

He opened with Tsar Nicholas I, exploring his catalytic role in triggering the outbreak of the First World War. He compared the differences between the popular view and historical fact of the lives of both Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) and Richard III.

He spoke of the naivety of Mary Queen of Scots both in the manner of her incarceration, by Elizabeth I, and in the events leading to her eventual execution for treason.

Mike’s final candidate was Hitler, citing three major errors of judgment which eventually lead to his defeat. He listed these as being: to let the allies off the hook at Dunkirk, to redirect the Luftwaffe away from attacking and destroying the RAF to blitz major UK cities, and to open up a second front and attack Russia at the beginning of winter.

Ross-on-Wye Vaga

WILLIAM Hazelton gave a talk on Iceland.

William commenced his talk with a map showing the position of Iceland relative to Europe and the UK, plus some facts and figures, ie it is some 40,000 sq miles in size and 850 miles from the UK, with a population of 320,000.

He continued by giving the membership his personal view and his experiences of the island, resulting from his visit there.

Iceland is a country of extreme contrasts, being essentially a volcanic land mass.

It is a place where fire and ice co- exist, and where insular existence spurns a rich and vibrant culture.

There is a peaceful and progressive population, who live in harmony with the often violent forces of nature – in a land of boiling mud pools, spurting geysers and waterfalls.

It is an adventure playground with breathtaking landscape and an inspirational panorama to artists and photographers.

Its situation in the North Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Arctic Circle and east of Greenland, at the northern end of the Mid Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasion Tectonic Plate meets the North American Plate, is therefore volcanically active with only 20% of the island inhabitable.

To the amusement of the meeting, William displayed a photograph of himself straddling this ridge with one foot in each plate.

Fortunately there was no volcanic activity at that time.

The map he produced illustrated the only major road from Reykjavik, the capital city, which has the benefit of a hard tarmac covering. But only within the city boundaries, beyond which runs a peripheral circular route around the island, which is essentially compacted volcanic grit, only suitable for large/wide SUV-type vehicles with extra large grip tyres. Placed at regular intervals are large Caterpillar-type machines, to ensure the road surface remains stable and compacted, to minimise skidding off the road. The road is known as the A1, with a 50-mile speed limit.

The population is not evenly distributed as approximately 200,000 people reside in Reykjavik and neighbouring communities with the rest spread around the towns and villages.

One of the benefits of living in Iceland is the abundance of very hot steam. In the case of Reykjavik steam at 200C is fed to storage tanks, from where it is distributed though a pipework system giving free heating to the rest of the country. This also provides free electricity due to the power stations being supplied with free steam to drive the turbo generators.

There were many questions, and indeed experiences, from members’ previous visits to the island, the main question being “has Iceland repaid its debts?”, as it was recalled the Icelandic banks previously refused to compensate UK investors. However, funds have been made good via the IMF and financial growth is of the order of 2% per annum. William was warmly thanked for his talk, which gave us food for thought.

Hereford Round Table

ROUND Table, the UK’s largest young man’s organisation, is offering the men of Hereford a free night out with the lads.

If your wheelie bin has more nights out than you do, then your local Round Table wants to change this.

The new campaign has been launched to encourage men, aged 18 - 45, to reclaim their social lives and to try new things. Meeting just twice a month, Round Table enables people to have nights out, try new activities and to get involved within their local community.

To earn a “free night out”, men simply have to visit the Round Table Facebook page and register on the “a free night out” tab. The members of the club will then be in contact to invite them along to their next event.

Cait Allen, Round Table chief executive, said: “We know how busy modern men are, with work and family commitments often making it difficult for them to make time for themselves.

“With our free night out offer, we want to make it as easy as possible for men to break from routine and do more with their evenings.

We’re the original and best social network, so why not claim a voucher and see what happens – it won’t cost you anything.”

To find out more about joining, visit: roundtable.co.uk. To receive a “free night out” voucher, go to Facebook and search for “Round Table Great Britain and Ireland”.

South Herefordshire Cottage Garden Society

OCTOBER will be a very special month with a visit and talk by Bob Brown, who runs Cotswold Garden Flowers. Bob Brown is a very interesting and inspiring speaker who writes for Gardening Which. His talk will be entitled “A Bucket of Stuff ”, as he will be bringing lots of stuff from his nursery to sell. The meeting will be at Bishopswood village hall on October 4, at 2pm. Visitors to the meeting are very welcome and it should be an enjoyable afternoon.

We hope that many keen gardeners will come and join us.Tea and biscuits are included in the £5 entrance fee.

Last month members had an interesting talk on “Bulbs through the Year”, given by Elaine Horton, and this month members are going on a special trip, by coach, to the RHS Garden at Wisley.

New members and visitors are always welcome. Do come and see what’s in store for the rest of the year. Ring Tinker Parsons on 01989 561050 for information.

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